How Can Massage Therapy Reduce Stress And Arthritis?

We all know how difficult it is to live with stress and arthritis. Painful joints, stiffness, and swelling can adversely affect your quality of life if left untreated. The same is true for an unstable mind that has you worried at all times. So what is the best way to manage these symptoms? One of the most common treatments is massage therapy! Read on to find out how massages can help reduce your arthritic pain and stress levels.

What is massage therapy, and how does it work?

Massage therapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses massage techniques to improve health and treat medical conditions. It involves acting on the body with hand pressure, using tools such as cups or balls, or through the feet! The goal is to relax the patient or speed up recovery from injuries.

Massage therapy for arthritis and stress reduction

Massage not only reduces symptoms of pain but also relieves anxiety and tension in your muscles. Many patients have found relief after a few sessions! The exact cause isn’t known yet, but scientists believe massage stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and releases neurochemicals. Massage therapy is a great way to reduce stress and arthritis pain without using drugs or invasive treatments!

How can a massage reduce stress?

Massage therapy plays an integral role in reducing both physical and mental stress in a variety of ways. These include:

It triggers a relaxation response

A massage session releases endorphins- natural painkillers and mood boosters that serve to reduce anxiety levels. It also boosts serotonin production in your brain- a neurotransmitter linked with happiness! When you feel happy, your stress levels decrease. Massage therapy can also reduce cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is a hormone that increases blood sugar and suppresses the immune system when there’s too much of it! It should be released in short bursts to help boost energy during stressful situations.

It eases muscular tension

Massage helps to relax your muscles, particularly in the neck and shoulders. This is because it stimulates blood flow which brings oxygen and nutrients to these parts of the body. It also reduces pressure on pain receptors in your joints, thus relieving tension!

It reduces blood pressure

High blood pressure is one of the biggest causes of stress. As massage therapy relaxes your muscles, it helps to lower your heart rate. It also reduces inflammation which improves circulation! This means that more oxygen-rich blood can flow throughout your body, effectively reducing high or low blood pressure levels.

Massage improves sleep

The lack of quality sleep may be the reason why you are feeling stressed all day long. Thankfully, massage therapy helps relax your body and mind, ensuring that you go to sleep at night feeling refreshed! You can wake up the following day with a well-rested mind ready to take on the challenges ahead with confidence.

How does massage therapy reduce arthritis pain?

Experts recommend massage therapy as a treatment for arthritic pain since it triggers a host of body activities that help to relieve your pain. These include:

It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system

Massage helps to calm your body and mind, reducing anxiety levels. It also stimulates the release of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which reduces pain and boosts happiness too! This also restores balance to your body and mind, relieving symptoms of pain and discomfort associated with arthritis! When you feel relaxed, joint stiffness will reduce as your muscles relax.

Improves blood flow

Massage therapy also improves blood flow around painful joints, reducing inflammation and swelling in arthritic areas such as the back, neck, or hips. This reduces pain levels and stiffness in your joints! For individuals with chronic conditions like arthritis, massage helps to improve their quality of life by reducing pain and discomfort.

It alleviates lower back, neck, and knee pain

Massage is known to help relieve the pain of arthritis in multiple joints. This includes lower back, neck, and knee- areas where arthritic patients tend to complain the most about.

Improves flexibility

Massage therapy is also known to help relax your muscles and increase joint mobility. This helps you move around with less pain- something important for someone who has arthritis! If you suffer from stiff, painful, or swollen joints due to arthritis, massage can restore movement and provide long-term relief of arthritic discomfort.

Types of massage therapy for arthritic pain

There are many types of massage therapies offered by service providers. However, not all are recommended for people who have arthritis. For this, you want to opt for the following:

Swedish massage

This is one of the most popular massage therapies. It involves long strokes and kneads with oil on a firm pressure point. Using your arms and palms to apply deep pressure stimulates circulation in arthritic areas such as hands or feet! This type of therapy also helps to improve flexibility and range of motion, thus reducing pain levels associated with arthritis.

Deep tissue massage

This is a type of therapeutic bodywork which helps to release chronic muscle tension and stress from the body, especially in muscles like the shoulders, neck, and lower back! It also helps in alleviating pain, reducing inflammation, and boosting energy levels! Deep tissue therapy focuses on helping you achieve optimal comfort by improving blood flow around arthritic joints while stimulating your parasympathetic nervous system to relax your body and mind.

Trigger point therapy

This is a specialized form of deep tissue massage that focuses on specific areas known for causing arthritic pain or discomfort, including the neck, shoulders, or lower back. Trigger points are specific areas within a muscle that refer pain to other parts of the body. You can reduce arthritic symptoms by massaging these trigger points and preventing your muscles from tightening up again!

Come to Gregory Chiropractic For Relief!

Whether you have chronic arthritis or are struggling with mental health, we can help you achieve optimal comfort and relief for your symptoms! Here at Gregory Chiropractic, we offer a variety of massage South Hill WA therapies to get your body functioning in tip-top shape! Call us today!